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Heavy Automatic Shotgun (Abzats)
The Heavy Automatic Shotgun is a limited edition bonus weapon for the Xbox 360. It is the largest, heaviest, and most monetarily valuable weapon in Metro 2033. The single most powerful non-explosive weapon in the game in terms of concentrated damage, it is a fairly innovative design, which is exactly what it looks like: a Degtyarov DS-39 General-Purpose Machinegun, rechambered for 12-gauge shotgun shells, with the barrel cut short, and grips adjusted and added for use as a man-portable weapon. It maintains its original sighting mechanism. The Original Weapon and History The Degtyarov DS-39 was a gas-operated, air-cooled, belt-fed, automatic-only general-purpose machinegun (GPMG). The gas chamber was located below the barrel, and the gas piston was rigidly attached to the bolt carrier (a long piston-stroke gas system). The locking of the weapon was achieved by two flaps, which were forced outwards from the bolt body to lock into recesses in the inner receiver walls at either side of the bolt. The gun fired from an open bolt, and the locking flaps were pushed outwards by the firing pin, which in turn was pushed forward by the projection on the bolt carrier. The gas system was fitted with a manual gas regulator. The charging handle was permanently attached to the right side of the bolt carrier. The rear part of the receiver hosted an additional spring buffer, which could be brought into action with the switch of a lever to speed up the recoil cycle and therefore almost double the cyclic rate of fire (necessary for AA applications). The DS-39 used a two-stage feed from a non-disintegrating steel belt with closed links. Upon the opening stroke of the bolt group the fresh cartridge was withdrawn from the belt to the rear and put into the feedway, then, on the closing stroke of the bolt, it was chambered and fired. This system was one of the two weakest points in the design, as a violent rearward movement of the cartridges, loaded with heavy bullets, often resulted in bullet separation. Another source of problems was the violent opening of the bolt combined with the lack of primary extraction, which resulted in torn cartridge cases. Therefore, the DS-39 was approved only for use with steel-cased ammunition; brass-cased ammunition was prohibited as this stood more chance of problems. After the war, Andrew the Smith obtained a wide variety of old pre-war guns that were in barely-servicable condition, and set about making them useful in some fashion or another. One of these projects was on finding a use for the Degtyarov DS-39, which, being quite old, was comparatively easy to come by in the industrial areas above-ground. As old-type 7.62x39mm rounds are extremely hard to come by, the wily smith went about refitting the barrel to accept 12-Gauge shotgun shells. An extendable stamped-metal stock was added. The advantages this change provided were numerous. The two-stage feed, normally a problematic part of the original DS-39, was greatly improved by the new cartridge's improved firing force. The violent rear-ward movement was utilized to improve the design with a distintegrating belt, and when paired with the new shells, allowed for an unbelievably powerful weapon for close encounters. The design was beyond expensive, however, ensuring that only a few in the Metro could actually afford them. The weapon also had its own problems, unchanged from the change from mounted GPMG to man-portable automatic shotgun. It is extremely heavy, weighing in at over 17 pounds even with numerous steps taken to reduce weight. Tactics and Use The Heavy Automatic Shotgun is the most powerful weapon in terms of concentrated damage in the game; no enemy can take a full clip of ammo from it, even with less-than-optimal hits, and survive. Its huge max ammo capacity gives it a huge advantage over the Uboyneg and Duplet, and its rapid fire rate overpowers the advantages of the bayonet attachment and rapid follow-up shot ability of the Automatic-Shotgun and the alpha strike damage of the Double-Barreled Shotgun. This awesome power immediately places it in its rightful position as one of the most powerful weapons of the game. The Heavy Automatic Shotgun has more than a few drawbacks, however. First and foremost, it is the weakest shotgun in terms of single-shot damage, dealing somewhat less than the Uboyneg or Duplet per shot. Second, it has the shortest effective range of any shotgun, with an extremely wide and variable scatter pattern. While it doesn't spray quite as wide as the Duplet, the Duplet somewhat makes up for this with area-saturation when fired with both barrels; this is an advantage that the Heavy Automatic Shotgun lacks. The Heavy Automatic Shotgun can make up for this with rapid fire, and its large magazine capacity helps this and allows it to just beat out the Uboyneg in terms of DPS at just about any range. The biggest weakness of all, however, is that the Heavy Automatic Shotgun is a bullet-hose. It eats through shotgun shells about as fast as the Kalash 2012 consumes 5.45mm rounds - and with an ammo type as expensive as 12-gauge shotgun shells, that is an expensive investment. While the Heavy Automatic Shotgun offers unrivaled punch at close-range, it must be used effectively and carefully, or it will quickly suck your supply of 12-gauge shotgun shells dry - and without those, the Heavy Automatic Shotgun is that much dead weight. Even if you don't intend to use it, the Heavy Automatic Shotgun is worth making use of; you can sell it; exchanging it for a Duplet nets you 79 Military-Grade Rounds, then going back to Andrew's room and picking up the gun you exchanged for the Heavy Automatic Shotgun. You can also use it as a trade-in towards other guns you may want that are available at Armory or Hole station; It lowers the cost of the Hellsing with scope in Armory to a very reasonable 62 MGR. Obtaining The Heavy Automatic Shotgun is a promotional weapon, requiring a download code to obtain. Once the code is redeemed, there are several chances to obtain the weapon. Note that for the weapon to appear, you will need to be logged into XBox Live. You can, however, obtain the Shotgun, disconnect, and load the save, and still have it in your inventory. * The first one appears in Armory. After Artyom is forced to flee the Communist Secret Police, and is saved by Andrew the Smith, you will find the weapon, along with a few packs of shotgun shells, waiting for you on the bed, a gift from the smith. *The second one will appear in Sparta, with the other weapons obtained by Vladimir. If you want it, grab it. Otherwise, enjoy the free shotgun shells. Trivia * The Heavy Automatic Shotgun, like the VSV, is an example of a successful pre-war design becoming an even-more successful post-war design. * Several guards in Polis can be seen with them equipped, when Ulman is taking Artyom into the station on the railcar. Category:Weapons